


Future Fishies!

by faceofthewaters, ratuja12



Category: Free!
Genre: Australia AU, F/M, M/M, RinHaru Kids AU, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), Yuzumi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2338976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faceofthewaters/pseuds/faceofthewaters, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratuja12/pseuds/ratuja12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A RinHaru fanfic where our two favorite swimmers are living in Australia, happily married with two little bundles of joy. Main pairing RinHaru, side pairings Nagirei, MakoGou. Some angst scheduled for future chapters. Lots of fluff though! Updates on Sundays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fluid Like Water](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1466899) by [ellerean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellerean/pseuds/ellerean). 



> Hey guys! This is a co-op story between my friend and I. It's our first co-written fan fiction, so go easy on us! Chapters will be sporadically updated every Sunday, depending on school, but always on Sunday (we promise). We hope you enjoy! Reviews, comments, kudos, etc. appreciated!

The road leading to their little cottage home stretched far into the distance. The sun was a sinking orb in the sky, blindingly bright and beautiful. It was something out of a fairytale.

 _Just like a certain someone I know,_  Haruka thought to himself, smiling lightly.

“Oto-chaaaaan!!! I’m hungry! When is Papa coming home?” A small voice trilled from behind him.

“Coming, Yu-chan! Calm down, calm down, he’s on his way.” Haru called back soothingly, chuckling a bit while leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.

“Oto-chan!” A small red bundle zoomed across his line of vision, barreling directly into his stomach and knocking him to the cool concrete of their front porch. Haru let out a small grunt as his daughter unceremoniously sat up in his lap, bright, innocent eyes glowing up at him.

“Yuzumi, how many times have I told you? Old people can’t take your barrel rolls anymore. Maybe five years ago I would’ve been able to, but not today.” Haru reprimanded softly, twirling the small, cherry-eyed girl in his arms amid shouts of “Oto-chaaan!” and “You’re so mean!” Looking at his daughter in his arms now, Haru couldn’t help but think of how lucky he was. Chuckling slightly to himself, Haru marveled at how Rin had always been labeled as the romantic of the family. He was just as sappy.

“ ‘To-chan?” What’re you laughing at?” Yuzumi lilted, her curly raven hair dappled with shades of blue in the early evening sunlight.

“Nothing, nothing. Come on, let’s get you some food. Can’t have your stomach getting angry, can we?” He said as he tickled her small belly. Her tinkling giggle resounded through their small, sea- side cottage. “If only you didn’t run around so much you wouldn’t eat as much as Sakura and Rin combined…” Haru muttered to himself, sighing. “Speaking of which, Yu-chan, where’s your brother?” Yuzumi rolled her eyes. “Where he always is, obviously. Watching the ocean. He’s so boooooring.”

“Kura- kun! Come in for dinner!” Haruka called to his son. “And don’t say that about your brother Yuzumi. I was the same way…I’m still the same way.”

Sakura sat on the beach, staring at the seemingly endless ocean, blue eyes focused, brow slightly ruffled. He grunted slightly when he heard his father calling for him, but made no move to stand from his spot of reverie. At four years old, Kura was already taking after Haruka in habits and Rin in temper. He got angry easily, his face lighting up to match his fiery red hair, contrasting with the blue of his eyes. But at the same time, Kura loved to sit by the beach, watching the waves gently roll back on forth along the sand, touching his toes in the cool water. At times like these, he was quiet, observant.

That is, until, his younger sister would come rumbling across the beach, as she did every evening, and disturb his moments of peace. Honestly, that girl needed some type of leash. But no matter how much his sister pestered him, the only thing that would get him moving from his sacred spot was the sound of Rin coming home from coaching the very official, extremely high-profile Australian Olympic swim team.

Every single day, without fail, Rin would burst in through the carved wooden entrance to their small home, calling out “Yu-chan! Kura-kun! Haru! Tadeima!” And every single day the two bright-eyed children would rush to be enveloped in his warm (bone-crushing), but warm, embrace while Haru stood in the background, laughing and kissing Rin’s forehead when the children scrambled away to retrieve something or the other to show their father. Haru always said that they looked like two ripe hawthorn berries rolling across the floor.

Their life was happy, and their stomachs and hearts were always full to bursting.

After the kids had been put to bed and the sun had set, Haru and Rin would sit on the back porch, admiring the soft whoosh of the waves as they rolled back and forth. The warm night air would sweep over them, reminiscent of the hot Australian afternoon. Rin and Haru would lean against each other, sharing soft caresses and quietly muttered jokes. Sometimes, they would talk about the past, the warm air relaxing them into a state of near- lethargy. Affectionate mutters of “You’re growing old Rin” and “Oh yeah, I’m not the one with the gray hair” would bounce between the pair as easily as the breeze swayed the palm fronds back and forth. Years of learning about and growing with each other had gotten rid of the uncertainty that came with the blushes, as well as the pounding of hearts, but their bond had only grown stronger over time.

The day was always ended in the warm night air.

A new one was always started in the cool hours of the dawn.

A dolphin, a shark, and two rays of sunshine living under the same roof.

It was a fairytale dream come true.


	2. A Matsuoka Family Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little chaos, a little sweetness. A typical morning with our favorite family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, new chapter up! Reviews, comments, kudos appreciated! This has been so fun to write so far, and we're both going a little tiny bit overboard in our personal RinHaru love love fest, but whatever right. Enjoy!

The next morning went how it generally did. Rin woke up before Haru, although he wasn't usually the one who woke up first (Haru generally woke him up either by dumping water on him or tickling him awake), but this morning was different. He turned to look at Haru, who was breathing peacefully beside him, his hair ridiculously messy and hanging over the smile crinkles around his eyes. Rin decided that he should wake up early more often…that is, until he realized that his feet and legs were on Haru’s stomach and his head was resting on the nightstand. Usually Haru would put him back in order while he was still asleep. Now, he had a ferocious kink in his neck and sore legs. Haru’s stomach wasn’t very soft, after all.

It’s not like this was new though. Every single morning, Rin always ended up in some ridiculous position. Half of his body sometimes drooped off the edge of the bed or his head ended up buried in places Haru would complain about later (“What if the kids walk into the room? You don’t want them seeing that!” “I can’t control it! It’s your fault for being so easy to lie on! Rin would say indignantly. And so on and so on and so on until Sakura or Yuzumi would tumble into the room and the small argument would turn into a giant family wrestling match), but even despite Haru’s reprimands it was a quirky habit that still continued even for all the years they had been together.

He sat up on the bed, watching the sunlight creep in through the blinds. It was dim, but it was still a too-bright reminder to start the day. He again averted his eyes over to his left side and smiled at Haruka's sleeping face. It was peaceful, resembling an innocent child’s face except for the crow’ s feet around his eyes and the streaks of gray starting to show through Haru’s bangs.. He gently ran his hand down Haru's cheek, catching and brushing off a strand of his hair. He hovered over his husband and chuckled softly as he inched closer.

"Ma-tsu-o-ka," he whispered in Haru's ear. A small tremor swept through the raven’s body on the last syllable. Rin smiled and moved his mouth away from Haru's ear and toward his lips. He kept both of his arms beside Haru's waist, lazily pinning him to the bed.

Blue eyes squinted at cheerful red ones before flying open. They widened incredulously for a split second, taking in what was going on. As soon as Haru registered what Rin was trying to do, he started squirming, tugging on the sheets.

"Rin. It's too early in the morning for this," he groaned, turning onto his side, struggling to make the blanket cover his face.

"Good morning to you too," Rin frowned, again slipping a strand of Haru's hair between his fingers. Rin’s expression was like a child who’d had his favorite chocolate taken away; the small pout fixed across his face and his droopy eyes caused Haru to sigh inwardly.

"Just get it over with already, then.” Haru groaned, turning onto his back, eyes closed stubbornly. Rin smirked, his crimson eyes lighting up.

"Oh come on, you know you want to," Rin said as he planted his lips onto Haru's, the kiss lingering for a few seconds, their bodies shifting closer to each other before they both pulled away. Rin’s lips turned upward as Haru leaned in again, and as they shared their little kiss, Rin slipped his hands onto Haru’s waist.

 Haru had memorized every line and crevice of Rin’s lips, and the somewhat clumsy way he kissed. Rin had somehow never gotten the hang of it, although he claimed he didn’t have to, since Haru was the only person he would ever kiss and apparently Haru enjoyed it. On the flipside, Rin had learnt every bump and mark on Haru’s hands, and the way it fit so perfectly in his. Rin broke the kiss, squirming off Haru and instead opting to sit beside him, the blanket wrapped around his entire body like a cocoon.

Haru sat up, his eyes narrowing, annoyed at the sunlight streaming in the window and the lack of blanket, since Rin had taken it all. His black hair was a tousled mess, sticking out in random places. Rin laughed and ruffled Haru’s hair before standing up and plopping the blanket unceremoniously on top of Haru’s bedhead, shivering a little bit as his bare chest became exposed to the cool air. 

"Morning breath..." Haru grumbled as he rubbed his eyes open. Rin walked over to the dresser and tried to pick out a pair of shorts to wear on his ritual morning jog, contemplating between his striped red and black ones or his striped black and red ones. Rin had picked up some of Haru’s strange quirks. How could he not, after all the years they had spent together. “They say weird is contagious, after all…” Rin muttered to himself, watching Haru out of the corner of his eye. Haru yawned as he watched Rin change his clothing. He sluggishly leaned against the bed frame, his eyes drooping to look at the sheets as Rin approached him.

“Wake up sleepyhead,” Rin said, gently tapping the back of Haru’s head. He shot Rin one of his little glares, but got up nonetheless. He threw on a robe and headed out their bedroom door to check on little Yuzumi. _Since when did he become such a momma bear? He can’t even lie in bed for a few minutes without getting up to check on the kids._ Rin sighed to himself, and then chuckled a little. _It’s kind of cute._

Rin followed Haru into Yuzumi’s room, tiptoeing through the hallways to make sure they didn’t wake up Sakura. Haru swung the door open, the old hinges groaning and squeaking. Rin winced at the sudden noise. The dim rays of light peeking through the blinds hit the little mobile hanging from the ceiling. Attached to it were a little blue dolphin figurine and a grey shark along with two little fish. Rin would always play with the ornaments before going to a big swim meet or practice with his team. He said it brought him good luck, something Haru found endearing. Beside the mobile was a little dream catcher, which Rin found incredibly nostalgic because of Haru’s struggles with his dreams back in high school. It was more of a symbolic thing, really. It was the hope that their children would find their dreams easier and with less of a struggle than Haru and Rin had both experienced. They quietly crept over to Yuzumi’s crib, Rin accidentally stepping on a little stuffed orca whale in the process. He muttered a curse under his breath and Haru shot him another glare.

A little bundle of red and blue was packed tight into the neat, white crib, sound asleep, her breathing soft and the rise and fall of her chest clearly visible. Her mouth was cracked open just a little bit, her little shark teeth sticking out. Her hair was splayed across her pillows and stuffed animals. She looked warm and safe wrapped in blankets. Rin smiled and gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead after Haru planted a little kiss on her cheek. “We’re gonna need a bigger crib pretty soon.” Rin whispered to Haru. “It’s only because she got your genes. She eats more and runs more than Sakura.” Haru whispered back, pouting a little. Rin shot Haru a sharky grin, proud of his daughter. They tiptoed out of her room, closing the door very gently and being extra careful not to wake her up or make a single noise.

Leisure time was over. The chaos of a typical Matsuoka family morning was calling.

“Sakura!!” Don’t forget your bento!” Haru rushed over to the front door, Japanese mixing with English in his panic as he hurriedly planted a kiss on Sakura’s forehead and tied his shoes before ushering him out the door.

“Kura-kun! We’re going to be late!” Rin called from the car.

“We’re coming, we’re coming!” Haru helped his son into the back seat, buckling him up. He bent down to look at Sakura, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. “It’s your first day of kindergarten. You’ll be ok, ok? Make lots of friends and be safe. Rin,” Haru called up to the front seat, “Don’t drive like a maniac like you normally do, ok? Just for today.” Rin threw Haru a sharky grin and nodded his head. Haru turned back to the calm blue-eyed boy in front of him. “Have fun.” Haru blew a raspberry on Sakura’s cheek. The little boy’s eyes lit up as he started giggling widly and flailing. “Ewwww, Oto-chan, slobber!” he said, laughing as he exaggeratedly wiped non-existent spit from his flushed face. Haru chuckled quietly, leaning back. “Love you both. And Rin, drive _safely_.” Rin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah I got it.”

Haru walked back to the house as the car rumbled away toward important happenings waiting for both his husband and his son. Rin had some important swim meet to attend to, as usual, but it was uncommon that Haru didn’t go with him. The Olympic Team always appreciated Haru’s quiet tips on swimming as a break from Rin’s inspirational (rather loud), encouragement. However, it was Sakura’s first day of kindergarten and Haru was worried sick, refusing to attend the meet in favor of mother-hen brooding at home over Sakura. Kura-kun had always been a rather quiet boy around strangers, not particularly shy, but a little unwilling to show his emotions. He was difficult to make friends with, taking after Haru. Yuzumi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was energetic, friendly, and had an aura that attracted people to her. She was a typical Matsuoka.

The little bundle was still sleeping, have used all her energy the previous evening by climbing every tree in sight. Haru closed the door, leaning against it and smiling as he thought about what a chaotic family he had. And in the split second he let his guard down, Yuzumi (who was supposed to still be sound asleep) managed to knock him down by barreling into his chest, as she did whenever he had a moment of relaxation. As usual, Haru sat down with a soft “Oof!” and Yu-chan was scolded once again about how Haru was too old for this.

“Come on you little trouble-maker, let’s get you some breakfast.” He picked up his daughter and walked into the kitchen, not knowing what was happening to Rin and Sakura at that very moment.


	3. At Least He Tried

“Papa? Where is my mommy?”

Rin spit out the coffee he was drinking all over his dashboard. He sputtered incoherently for a few seconds, simultaneously trying to rub the coffee off his dash and keep his eyes on the road. After choking for a few minutes with Sakura sitting there staring intently at him, Rin settled on angling his body towards his son while looking at the road incredulously.

“Why do you ask Kura-kun?”

_Okay Rin, deep breaths. You are calm. Calm as a freaking ocean. Calm as Haru. Yeah. We both knew this day would come._

“Because all of my classmates have mommies. And when we walk into a store, there are mommies everywhere. They’re holding up babies or putting them under their shirts,” at this Rin winced while Sakura continued with a scrunched-up face, “so I was just wondering why I don’t have one. Am I weird?” At this Sakura turned his face up to Rin, his innocent eyes wide as saucers.

“Uh…well…that’s…uh…no.” Rin tried to find the words to form a coherent thought. “Our family’s just different. There’s a difference between weird and different.”

_Yeah. That’s perfect Rin. Keep going._

“Doesn’t it take a mommy and a daddy to have a baby though?”

“Where’d you hear that from?!?” This was taking a turn for the worst, and Rin searched frantically for words to explain this particularly uncomfortable topic to Sakura without scarring him for life at four years old.

“Last year. The kids in my class said that it takes a mommy and a daddy to have a baby.” Sakura’s inquisitive face stared up at Rin while he himself prayed that _that_ question would not be asked. “Then how did you and Oto-san have me?”

_Shit times a million._

“Well…you see…when two people love each other very much…uh,”

_Why couldn’t Haru have been here for this?!?!_

“Um…” Rin trailed off. There was a very long, very uncomfortable pause.

.

.

.

“…magic?” Father and son stared off at each other, Rin hoping with all his heart that Sakura accepted the answer. Sakura started scrunching up his face, ready to give his Papa the temper tantrum of a life time…

“Oh look! There’s your kindergarten! Have a good day, son! I love you and we’ll talk about this after you get home, okay! Bye!” Rin rushed to hurry Sakura out of the car and into the school building. Luckily, as soon as Sakura saw friends, his indignant face disappeared and morphed into a slight smile reminiscent of Haruka’s.

“Bye, Papa!” Sakura yelled as a pack of his friends herded him away from his father. But at the last minute Kura-kun turned around, a serious expression on his chubby face. “Don’t forget what we talked about.”

Rin froze up in the middle of waving goodbye, his sigh of relief catching in his throat as his son was led off by a group of giggling kindergartners.

I’ _ll let Haru take this one_ , he thought as he leaned against the hood of his car, a devious smile starting to form on his face.

_Just this once._

* * *

“No.”

Rin stared at Haru pleadingly over a large serving of steak.

“Come on, Haru, you know I can’t deal with these things!”

Haru turned to Rin, spatula held rather threateningly in his hand. “So you want me to just explain to our son how he was born out of a science lab?!? He’s going to hate us for the rest of his life!”

Rin sighed, his hand massaging his temples. “Well, he’s going to find out eventually. And he’s going to come home asking about it! Besides, we knew this day would come…we probably should have planned for it…”

“He asked you the question Rin. You have to take care of this.”

Rin got up and paced around the dining table. “But what if he asks for details? He’s a pretty stubborn kid-“

“That’s from your side of the family.”

Rin ignored the quip, favoring instead to increasing the speed of his pacing.

“Seriously, Haru. You’re better at these things than I am.”

The raven sighed, leaning against the countertop tiredly. “Fine. Worst comes to worst and you fail utterly, Rin, and I’ll take it from there.”

Rin kissed Haru’s cheek, smiling with relief. “Thank the gods I have such a nice husband.”

Haru playfully pushed Rin aside, grasping his tie and pulling him in for a kiss. “Yeah. Thank the gods you do.”

A few minutes later, Haru watched Rin leave for work, the redhead promising that he would drive safely (though not without a lot of eye-rolling) and thanking Haruka again and again for taking the humongous responsibility off his shoulders of explaining an uncomfortable topic to his son.

 _I always let him manipulate me._ Haru thought as Rin got into his car. Just as Haru was about to close the front door, however, Rin honked the horn.

“I love you! Have a good day!” Rin shouted, sending Haru his best and most adorable sharky grin.

_Then again…it’s not so bad._

* * *

Haru paced outside the office.  He could hear the soft murmur of voices through the closed oak doors.

 _I wonder how it’s going in there_.

Rin had never been the best with talking to his kids about serious topics (then again, he’d never been the best to talk with anyone about serious anything), but Haru wanted him to gain some experience in the difficult side of the parenting department. Put more frankly, Haru wanted Rin to grow some balls.

Suddenly, the soft murmurs stopped, and out stepped Rin with a defeated look on his face.

Haru sighed, saying nothing, instead favoring of glaring at Rin disappointedly.

Rin rubbed the back of his head. “I tried telling him the story about how he was brought to us by a stork but…it didn’t work. He thought he was even more weird because he was raised by birds.” he said sheepishly.

Haru sighed again, intensifying his glare.

Without speaking a word, he pushed past Rin to his waiting son.

Sakura stared at Haru, his ocean blue eyes starting to fill up with frustrated tears.

“Was I raised by birds?”

Haru started massaging his temples.

_This is going to be a very long evening._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhhhh we wrote this sitting right next to each other and it got a little crazy at the end....heheh. Don't kill us. Reviews, kudos, comments, etc. appreciated!


	4. The Talk

Haru gently closed the oak doors behind him, cursing under his breath of the mess his idiot husband had created. Once again, it was Haru’s job to clean up everything. He pulled up the chair, and sat down in it so he was looking straight at Sakura.

“What exactly did Papa tell you?” Haru asked him. Sakura choked a little bit on his tears and pouted.

“He told me a stork dropped me into your car,” he answered in a high-pitched I’m-about-to-throw-a-tantrum voice. “And I went ‘plop’ in a basket on the backseat.”

 _In our car?!_ Haru thought. ‘ _Plop’?!?_ _Did Rin seriously screw up the stork story, too? Where does he come up with these things? Dumbass…_

“Well, Sakura,” Haru had the sudden urge to say ‘Your papa’s a freaking idiot’, but he refrained.

“Your dad got the facts all mixed up. Turns out, no, the storks did not deliver you to us.” Sakura opened his mouth as if to ask a question. “And no, you were not raised by birds.” His mouth closed.  “You see, the doctors are really skilled. They know lots of science and cool things and found a way to take a little bit of me and little bit of Rin and make you.” Haru gently ruffled his son’s hair. “That’s why you need to do well in school. So that you can grow up big and smart and someday make someone as happy as you make us.”

Sakura’s eyes widened as he processed the new information. “So…doctors are kind of like magicians?” he asked. Haru chuckled gently.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“So that’s what Papa was trying to say! So I can be a magician too?” Sakura said, his blue eyes looking up at Haru with optimism. Haru gave him a gentle smile.

“Of course.” Haru nodded, patting little Sakura on the head. The toddler’s face immediately lit up, and he gave Haru a hug, trying to wrap his arms around Haru’s waist, but instead just settling for his stomach. Haru smiled as he thought of how he was going to punish Rin for screwing up… _again._

 _Thank God. That was surprisingly easy._ Haru rolled his eyes. _Rin just couldn’t take care of it because he’s a freaking idiot. On the bright side…punishment should be fun._

“Oto-chan, why are you smiling like that?” Kura-chan asked, and Haru’s eyes immediately snapped back into focus.

“Huh? Oh, no reason,” he answered as he helped Kura-chan up and they walked out of the room, the weight finally lifting from Haru’s shoulders. They both emerged into the kitchen where Rin sat at the table with little Yuzumi next to him, who was laughing about something. As soon as the two entered the room, Rin looked up and flashed Haru a smile. Haru cast him one of his most deadly glares and Rin’s smile was smacked right off his lips. That was when he noticed Sakura was looking at him as well, his lips curled into a little smile.

Rin smiled, relieved. _Thank God that’s solved._

Then he looked over at Haru, and all the relief melted away as an angry ice-cold blue gaze clashed with a red one.

_Shit, I’m so screwed._

While Haru quietly washed the dishes, menacing aura radiating off him, Rin gently helped Yuzumi out of her high chair, trying to avoid getting near the black haired man. She was bursting with giggles, and Rin played along, smiling.

“It’s time for you to get to bed, young lady,” he scolded, walking over to her bedroom.

“Don’t wanna!” She complained, pounding her little fists against Rin’s chest.

“Nope, you don’t have a choice,” Rin smiled, placing her in her crib.

“I’ll bite you!” she threatened, a devilish smile playing on her lips as her pointy teeth were revealed. Rin’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, letting out a loud laugh.

“Only papa’s allowed to do that, hun,” he chuckled, thrusting his face forward and opening his mouth like he was going to bite her. She almost fell backwards, but Rin caught her and she burst into her giggles.

“Okay Yu-chan, enough fun for today. Time for bed.”

“Papaaaaaa. I don’t wannaaaa,” she wailed loudly. She definitely got her whining qualities from Rin, and he silently cursed at himself for it.

“You’ve had a long day Yuzu, it’s time for you to go sleep,” Rin answered, planting a little kiss on her forehead. A little pout fixated across her face as he delicately tucked her in. He smiled, turning out the lights. Haru walked in behind Rin and they both said in unison.

“Oyasumi,” and gently pulled on the door, only so it was cracked open halfway. Rin turned around and gave Haru one of his nervous smiles. Haru just scowled back at him, leaving Rin to grimace a little as they walked over to Sakura’s room. Rin paced over to his bed. Sakura’s eyes were hooked on the ceiling, observing every crack in the wall.

“Gomen Kura-chan,” Rin apologized, smiling timidly. Sakura’s and Rin’s eyes locked for a second and Sakura shook his head. “Don’t call me ‘chan’, Papa.”

“Of course,” Rin chuckled a bit. “Love you,” he said, brushing a strand of red hair from his son’s eyes.

“Yeah… love you too,” Sakura mumbled sleepily, his eyes gently drooping. Rin smiled and Haru watched over them, shaking his head. He turned off the lights, and they both wished their little cherry blossom good night.

They left the room, silence beginning to wriggle itself in between them.

Rin avoided Haru’s gaze as they walked to their bedroom. As soon as they entered, Haru shut the door behind him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Haru-,” Rin started blabbering, but was cut off by a harsh kiss from his husband. His lips were demanding, forceful. Rin’s hypothesis was correct. Haru was angry. He pushed him towards the bed, and Rin lost his footing and toppled onto it.

“Oi! Haru!” Rin complained. Haru abruptly pushed his shoulders down onto the mattress, situating himself so he was sitting on top of Rin’s hips. Rin tried to sit up, but Haru pressed him down so he couldn’t squirm.

“Haru, what the heck?” Rin asked, but once again, his lips were claimed by Haru, and the redhead was left struggling to push him away for a while. Soon, the kiss became less forceful and Rin let himself to melt into it. Haru insisted on not breaking it for a few minutes and when they both finally pulled away, they were out of breath and panting.

“What’s this all about?” Rin asked.

“Punishment,” Haru mumbled, and Rin’s eyes widened. He chuckled fondly at the raven-haired man’s determination.

“This seems like more like a reward than a punishment,” Rin’s lips curling into a smile. Haru frowned at him, his grip loosening around his shoulders.

“I hate you,” he groaned, and Rin smirked, sitting up a little.

“Love you too,” he said, planting another kiss on Haru’s lips. Rin was going to keep it short and sweet, but Haru had something else in mind. He pressed himself up against Rin, yearning his touch.

“Someone’s thirsty today,” Rin panted in between kisses, raising his eyebrows.

“Shut up, I-,” Whatever he'd been about to say jammed and flickered in Haru’s head, and his mind buzzed as Rin’s lips connected with his once more.

Hot, and wet. That was what kissing Haru was like right now, and anything beyond that Rin didn't even notice. Rin gently opened his mouth wider and accidentally caught one of Haru's lips on his teeth. Haru didn't even flinch, but Rin shivered anyway. Haru tugged on Rin’s shirt, struggling to undo the buttons. When he found them, he threw the shirt to the side, all the while never breaking apart from Rin. Rin pulled off Haru’s belt, sliding it off and throwing it onto the floor. Haru straightened up and towered above the redhead, kissing him ravenously, his tongue pulling and wrapping its way into Rin’s mouth.

Their lips broke away from the fervent kiss. Their panting and the rise and fall of their chests fell into rhythm. After their gazes locked for a few moments, Haru began trailing kisses down Rin’s neck, and his back arched in reaction.

“Whoa, whoa, Haru,” Rin said, snapping out of his trance. Haru gently pulled away.

“What?” Haru asked, his eyes clouding with curiosity towards Rin’s hesitation.

“The kids.”

“What about them?”

“Not today. They’re sleeping. What if they wake up?”

Haru frowned, surprised that Rin was being the practical one for once. He rolled off of Rin and threw off his shirt, replacing it with a more comfy white one. He and Rin both changed out into sleepwear, and Rin tried to engage in conversation to break the silence in the now not-so-steamy atmosphere.

“How was your day?” Rin asked. He waited for a few brief moments. No answer. Haru remained silent as he turned off the lights.

“Oh c’mon Haru, don’t be that way,” Rin whined, feeling like a little boy again. The darkness enveloped the master bedroom, and Rin could see Haru’s silhouette drop onto the bed next to him.

“Haruuuu,” Rin complained, poking at the raven-haired boy as he snuggled under the sheets. Rin collapsed onto the bed, and pushed his body closer to his husbands.

“C’mon,” He whispered, trailing his hand up and under Haru’s shirt. Haru diligently slapped it away.

“Hey!” Rin pulled away, furrowing his eyebrows together.

Finally, he sighed, not liking Haru angry at him. “I’m sorry, babe. Thanks for covering for me today. And sorry we had to stop… God knows I didn’t want to,” Rin apologized. It wasn’t whiney or childish, it was genuine. Haru sighed inwardly as Rin nuzzled the side of his neck.

“You know the magicians thing is a temporary solution, right? Kura’s smart, he won’t buy it for long. We’re going to have to come up with something better. And you are explaining it to him when he’s older, not me.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Rin rolled his eyes, but then sighed contentedly.

“I love you,” the redhead whispered, tangling their legs together. Haru groaned a little but leaned into Rin nonetheless.

“Love you too…you big fat idiot.”

Rin chuckled at that. “But I’m you’re idiot, aren’t I.”

Haru didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. They both knew.

They snuggled closer. Finally, the rustling of the sheets and the sound of the fan buzzing lulled them to sleep, tranquility floating through the air at last.


	5. Past Waters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! So sorry for the late update. School takes a lot out of you! Yeah but no excuses, I just got kind of lazy haha.  
> Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter, and remember that RinHaru heals all. :) :)

“Tadeima!”

“Papa!” The two Matsuoka children rushed across the wood floor, tripping over and pushing each other until their moving bodies turned into one fast- moving blur.

Rin chuckled and nuzzled his kids’ hair while Haru leaned against the kitchen door frame and watched, his eyes crinkling slightly. His black hair was tied back in a white bandana and his clothes were paint- splattered; so much so that no one could discern the original color anymore.

“Papa!” Guess what happened at school today!” Sakura chirped, almost climbing on top of Yuzumi in order to tell his story first.

“What happened?”

“Guess!”

“Hmmmm….a giant purple pickle was dancing in the rain?” Sakura giggled. “No, Papa. My teacher got engaged!”

“Oh?” Rin raised his eyebrows, his expression a perfect blend between curiosity and excitement.

“Yeah! Her boyfriend walked in and said”- here Sakura scrunched his eyebrows and tried to make his voice deep in imitation- ‘You are the love of my life and I want to spend all eter…eter…etermity with you.’ And teacher started cryin’ so the whole class went and hugged her.” Sakura scrunched his brow more, and his remaining baby fat almost obscured his eyes from view. “But she only cried harder.”

Haru let out a snort when he heard this part.

“What?” Rin turned to face his husband.

“It sounds exactly like when we decided to get married.”

“What happened, Oto- chan?” Yuzumi clung to Haru’s paint- splattered shirt excitedly, knowing she was about to get a story.

“Well…”

_Twenty years earlier…_

_Haru and Rin lay in bed next to each other, looking into each other’s eyes like the two dumb, completely love- struck idiots they were._

_“I love you.” They both blurted out at the same time. They looked at each other, startled, and then burst into uncontrolled peals of laughter._

_And that was when Rin realized that he had made Haru laugh. Haru, of all people. And it was at that moment that he decided that he wanted to hear that laugh every day for the rest of his life._

_“Marry me.” The words burst out of Rin as quickly as he’d thought of them._

_Haru stopped laughing and stared at Rin, who was quickly turning a shade of red much deeper than his hair._

_“What?” The word came out a little breathless, a little hopeful._

_“Marry me.” Rin stuttered the words out again. “Marry me, Haruka Nanase. I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”_

_Haru stared. And stared and stared and stared and stared until Rin started feeling like he was going to pass out._

_A small smile formed on the blue- eyed boy’s lips. “Ok.” He whispered._

_Rin died a little. “Wha- what?”_

_“I said ok, you big idiot.”_

_Rin felt his heart start beating at the speed of light. “Really? I don’t have a ring or anything…oh my god, Haru!”_

_The red- head launched himself into his boyfriend’s arms. Haru’s small smile was now a face- splitting grin. He felt warm liquid trail down his bare back._

_“Rin…are you crying?”_

_Rin shuddered and clung to Haru harder. “No…shut up.”_

_Haru chuckled and lightly pushed his boyfriend off him. He stared at Rin’s red- rimmed eyes and gently wiped the tears away. “Don’t cry.”_

_“I’m just happy.” He took hold of Haru’s hand and brought it to his lips. “So, so happy.”_

_Haru’s eyes widened as realization hit him. “Rin…we’re getting married.”_

_“Yes!! You idiot…you just realized this?!”_

_“Yes.”_

_“You’re hopeless.”_

_They laughed, each of them breathless and excited._

_“We’ll have to go ring shopping-“_

_“- And I’ll have to tell Oka-san and Gou-“_

_“-Does Japan even allow gay marriage?”_

_“Who cares? We’ll just go somewhere else.”_

_Haru’s heart swelled at the thought of going somewhere, anywhere with Rin._

_“Ok.”_

_“Ok.” Rin whispered._

_And then Rin started crying again._

_“You sap.”_

_“Hey, you’re getting married to this sap.”_

_Haru’s eyes softened. “Yeah…I am.”_

“And then Mako-oji-san was Oto-chan’s best man and Sousuke-oji-san was Papa’s best man! And then Oji-san and Gou-oba-san got married! And then Nagisa-oji-chan and Rei-oji-chan-san got married!” Yuzumi interrupted, the words spilling out of her mouth at light speed.

Rin and Haru rolled their eyes. “Yu- chan, don’t call Rei-oji-san ‘Rei-oji-chan-san’. Or Nagisa-oji-san ‘Nagisa-oji-chan’.”

Yuzumi pouted. “But Nagisa-oji-chan tells me too!”

“Well, he’s always been a little bit weird.” Rin said.

Haru smacked him lightly on the arm. “Don’t be mean.” Haru turned to Sakura, who he had thought had been listening the entire time. Instead, what he turned to was a chubby toddler spread across the dining table chairs with an arm stuck through the decorative hole in the backboard. A thin trail of drool dripped out of his mouth as he snored lightly.

Haru smiled and walked forward to pick his son up from his rather uncomfortable- looking sleeping position. Haru nuzzled his son’s hair, turning to look at Rin mischievously. “He got that from you.”

Rin grinned. “Only the best from me to my boy.”

Yuzumi ran up to Sakura and tried to blow in his ear. Haru flicked her in the head lightly, giving her a disapproving look. “Don’t disturb his sleep, Yu- chan. It’s time for bed anyway.”

The kids were put to bed (although not without the usual pushing and shoving and whining from Yuzumi) and the Matsuoka household was quiet.

A little while later, Haru stood on the back deck, looking out on the ocean and the stars above. A warm breeze swept over him, ruffling his gray- streaked bangs out of his eyes. He started when Rin came up from behind him and wrapped his arms around Haru’s abdomen, burying his face into the cotton fabric of Haru’s shirt.

“Race you there.” Rin rumbled into Haru’s shoulder.

“I’ll win.”

“Want a bet?”

The two men looked at each other. Slow smiles spread across their faces.

_Challenge accepted._

They ran into the ocean, kicking up spray as they stripped off their clothing, their silhouettes disappearing under the moon- illuminated waters.    


	6. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN LIKE....WHAT...6 MONTHS??  
> Well here's a really short chapter (that does not make up for that long absence) but a new one will be up VERY soon! Like, Sunday soon!!! Probably...  
> Well, enjoy anyway!! ^_^

“Haru! HARU!!” a voice blared over the phone.

Haruka held the cell phone away from his ear, flinching at the sudden influx of sound. He sighed, hearing the commotion behind Makoto’s voice.

“Makoto. Calm down. Gou going into labor isn’t the end of the world.” Rin came down the stairs, resting his head lightly on Haru’s shoulder. “What’s going on?” He mouthed. Haru waved him away, shushing him. Rin nudged his head against Haru’s shoulder more persistently.

The blue-eyed man sighed, holding the phone away from his ear, Makoto still screaming on the other end. “Gou’s going into labor.”

Rin blinked. Once. Twice. And then realization hit him like a tidal wave. “SERIOUSLY?!? I THOUGHT HER DUE DATE WASN’T FOR ANOTHER THREE WEEKS! GIVE ME THE PHONE!” Haru held the device away from Rin, trying to play an absurd-looking game of keep-away with the taller man. “Haru! Give me the phone!” “No. You’re just going to panic with him or worse, start crying.”

“I don’t cry that easily!”

“Yes you do.”

“No I don’t!”

“Yes you do.”

“No I-Haru! Just give me the phone!” Rin gave Haruka his best and most adorable puppy dog eyes. Haru looked away, blowing his fringe out of his eyes. After a pause, he said, “Fine. But if you make Makoto cry I’m taking it back.” Rin grabbed the phone and held it to his ear. “Makoto? You there?”

“RIIIIIN! Gou’s going into labor!!” Makoto wailed. “What do I do?!?! HELP ME!” English turned to Japanese in Makoto’s anxiety. Haru walked away, tying his apron on his waist and picking up his favorite non-stick pan, waiting for the high-stress conversation to be over. He could hear Rin trying (vainly) to inject calm into his panic-stricken voice. It seemed like it was working to soothe Makoto though, as Haru could no longer hear him through the receiver. Even so, frying a little mackerel always helped soothe Haru’s nerves, the familiar process of cooking and scaling the fish easing him into a state of mindlessness.

He had just set the plate down at the table and said a quiet, “Itadakimasu.” when Rin walked in, panting but seemingly happy. He leaned against the doorframe and groaned teasingly.

“Really? Mackerel again?”

“Shut up. How’s Makoto?”

“Oh, he’s fine.” Haru looked up suspiciously at the nonchalant answer. His blue eyes flashed in question.

The redhead grinned his enormous, sharky grin and answered, “We’re going to America.” Haru stared at his husband. “No.” “Oh come on, Haru. Don’t you want to see Makoto?” Haru remained silent, instead opting to glare at Rin, eyes blazing.

“Haruuuu. Come on. It will only be for two weeks and Makoto and Gou really need the support! Gou needs you!” Rin was pushing Haru’s buttons. He knew that Haru loved his sister and pampered her to no end; probably because of his lack of siblings. There was a long silence; Rin staring confidently at Haru and Haru staring back grumpily. Finally, he sighed, sitting back in his chair.

“Two weeks. That’s it. Just enough time to help Makoto and Gou adjust.”

Rin kissed his husband on the cheek. “Thanks, babe.” He turned to exit the kitchen. “Oh, did I mention that Nagisa and Rei were coming, too?”

Haru put down the bite of mackerel he’d just been about to eat and stared at Rin’s receding back. When he was sure that his husband wasn’t watching, he stretched back, rolled his neck, and allowed a small smile to cross his face. Little did he know that behind the partition between the kitchen and the hallway, Rin was listening.

“Reunited again, huh? Sounds good to me.” Haru muttered to the air.

Rin leaned against the wall. “Sounds good to me, too.”

 

Haru came out of the airport bathroom, looking to anyone who’d known him for long enough as pissed as he could possibly be. “That is the last time you drag me on a twenty hour flight, Rin.”

Rin laughed. “That’s the same thing you said when I dragged you to Australia all those years ago, Haru.” he said, mirroring Haru’s defensive stance. He nuzzled his husband’s neck. “And look what happened because of that.” The annoyance melted away at the memories of that trip.

Haru kissed the top of Rin’s head, looking at Yuzumi and Sakura buying snacks at a vending machine. They were squabbling about something, as usual, but Haru couldn’t help but feel his insides melt at the sight of his children. He felt Rin’s gaze on him and turned to face his husband, who was looking at him with a goofy grin on his face. Haru frowned to cover the unwanted smile he felt coming on and turned away, looking at his watch.

“What time does Nagisa and Rei’s flight land, again?”

“12:00 a.m.”

Haru frowned at his wrist. “It’s 12:15. Where are they?”

Rin chuckled. “Relax, babe. Flights can be late.”

Just then, Haru turned his head to see a blond head bobbing through the thick crowd. “I think I found them.” he muttered, bracing himself for the nuclear bomb that was Hazuki Nagisa.

The blond head began to move faster. “Haru- chan? HARU-CHAN!” A ball of fast- moving yellow slammed into Haru, knocking him into the ground.

“Nagisa!” Haru panted, switching to Japanese. “You’re worse than Yuzumi.”

“Nagisa! Don’t slam into Haruka- senpai like that!” Rei came running after Nagisa, breathing hard and ruffled. Haru smirked a bit. “You can drop the ‘senpai’, Rei.” He was ignored.

“Awwwww Rei! Let me have a little fun!”

“You’re thirty-two! You can’t do this kind of thing anymore!”

“Awwwww Rei-chan…!” Their squabbling continued on and on, Yuzumi and Sakura looking on with wide eyes.  

Finally, Rin split the two up, laughing so hard Haru thought his face would split open. “Ok, ok! We get it! You guys haven’t changed at all since we were teenagers.”

Rei looked endearingly at Nagisa and ruffled his hair, the diamond in his wedding ring glittering under the dim airport light.

After the two newcomers had been introduced to Sakura and Yuzumi, Rei, Rin, and Haru sat down at a table outside a small airport café. Nagisa had hit it off with the children immediately (Yuzumi especially) and was now giving them piggybacks around the food court while making airplane noises.

The three men watched, laughing at the antics of the children and Nagisa.

Rin turned to Rei. “So? Makoto and Gou have a kid now. When’s it your turn?”

Rei blushed a deep red. “Well…with me getting a PhD in astrophysics and Nagisa running the swim club, it’s been a little busy. We haven’t had time.” His face softened as he looked at his husband. “Someday. I know Nagisa really loves them.”

“Something tells me they’d love him.” Rin said. Haru blew his bangs out of his eyes, a mischievous twinkle making the blue even brighter. “Well obviously, Rin. Kura-kun and Yu-chan might like him even more than they like you.” “Hey…” Rin grumbled. They were interrupted by Rei throwing his head back and letting out the loudest laugh they’d ever heard from him. “Well, if Nagisa and I haven’t changed, I certainly can’t say the same for you two.”

Rin leaned forward interestedly, squabble forgotten. “What do you mean?”

“Well, for one, Haruka- senpai laughs and smiles a lot more. And he cares about his kids a lot.” Rin chuckled. “I told you that you were a momma bear.” “Shut up.”

“And Rin” Rei continued, “…actually, you haven’t changed much.” Rin looked disappointed before Haru leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Oh well.” Haru muttered softly.

Rei glanced between the two of them before shaking his head lightly. “And that…that definitely didn’t surprise any of us.” Rin and Haru looked up in unison. “You knew?”

Rei snorted. “It honestly wasn’t that hard to guess. Your efforts at hiding your relationship were completely fruitless,” he said, straightening his glasses and looking rather proud of himself.

Rin chuckled. “Well, we were pretty stupid about the whole thing.”

“The only reason we were caught is because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.” Haru said.

“I was drunk! It slipped!”

“Did you really have to let it slip in front of _Nagisa_ , of all people?” Rin grumbled a response, knowing he’d been beaten. Haru changed the subject with a little side smirk of victory.

“Rei. Have you been taking proper care of the pool.” Rin rolled his eyes and felt the need to smack his face down onto the table. Of course Haru would care about the pool.

“Of course, Haruka senpai. I would never dream of soiling our memories there.”

“Drop the senpai.”

“What Haru- _chan_ means to say is thank you, Rei.” A green-eyed angel materialized behind Haru, clasping his shoulder and making his eyes widen in surprise.  

A chorus of voices accompanied Makoto’s arrival at the table. Nagisa almost dropped Yuzumi in order to go tackle him in a bear hug (Haru’s eyes blazed at the blatant disregard for the safety of his baby) and Rin looked like he was about to cry (again). Makoto made the circle complete, and Haruka and Rin were transported back to times when their family of friends wasn’t hemispheres apart, when they could simply walk to each other’s houses and offer a cup of tea and the comfort of familiarity. Makoto and Haru exchanged glances, reading each other’s minds as usual. They smiled at each other, for Haru a (relatively) big, genuine smile that made his friends tear up and laugh and hug him until he felt like he was suffocating.

It was fantastic. 

            “Mako-ojisan!!” Yuzumi scrambled up behind the adults, struggling to get a hug from her beloved uncle while Sakura walked up and shyly hugged Makoto.

            “How are my two favorite godchildren? Does anyone want chocolate?” he asked, green eyes gleaming.

“Can I have it, Oto-chan?” Haru nodded slightly, the green light for Yuzumi to snatch the chocolate and quickly stuff it into her face, which gained her a look of disapproval from Haru.

            Yu-chan bounced on top of Mako, stuffing her face with chocolate and loudly asking him to give her a piggy-back ride (which, of course, Makoto did). 

            “Oto… _chan_?” Rei asked, looking bemused.

            Haru merely sighed while Rin talked for him. “She picked it up from Makoto. He always calls Haru,”—Haruka’s mouth wrinkled in distaste in anticipation for the hated addition to his name—“Haru-chan.”

            Makoto chuckled while Haru glared at him. “Sorry, sorry. But it’s honestly kind of cute.”

            The others nodded in agreement. Just at that moment, Makoto’s cell phone rang. He answered, Yuzumi in his arms. 

            “Hello? Ah, Gou. Yes. Yes they’re all here. About twenty minutes. Yes I’ll hurry. Love you.”

            He looked up and smiled. “Well, duty calls. Let's go.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suggestions? Anything you want to see? Comment them!  
> As usual, comments, kudos, criticisms, etc. appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Yuzumi- 2 year old daughter of Rin and Haru, name means easy-going, pure, free spirit (get it, FREE spirit)  
> Sakura- 4 year old son of Rin and Haru, name means...well you guys know ;)


End file.
